Network performance is a critical and growing challenge among small to midsize enterprises (SMEs). Slow speeds, unpredictable downtime and connectivity issues directly hit an SME’s bottom line.
Troubleshooting these issues is often inhibited by a lack of visibility. Increasing network complexity makes it difficult for IT staff to trace performance problems to their source.
SMEs can improve network visibility using low- or no-cost tools, many of which are already built into the platforms they use every day. However, that doesn’t make up for a lack of skills or the inability to monitor the network around the clock.
A qualified managed services provider (MSP) provides access to advanced network visibility tools as well as the experienced engineers needed to monitor and manage them.
Why Network Performance Plagues SMEs
Most SMEs lack dedicated network engineers. Pulled in many directions, IT staff often push network performance optimization to the back burner until a catastrophic outage occurs.
Meanwhile, the modern office environment requires networks to handle growing device densities. Outdated or consumer-grade network hardware can’t handle this strain. Implementing security measures without a clear strategy can also compromise speed.
As SMEs embrace digital transformation, their data is no longer confined to one physical space. Traffic flows across branch offices, remote workers, public clouds and numerous SaaS platforms. When an application runs slowly, small IT teams find it difficult to tell if the bottleneck is caused by the office Wi-Fi, the ISP or the cloud provider.
How a Lack of Visibility Impacts Network Performance
While these problems have diverse causes, IT’s inability to solve them stems from a lack of visibility. Simply put, you can’t troubleshoot what you can’t see. IT teams are unable to isolate and address the root cause of a network slowdown.
Network visibility allows IT teams to instantly isolate whether a slowdown stems from the network, an application, a server or the cloud. They can track traffic flows, transport connections and the specific network hops causing latency or forwarding loss.
Best-in-class tools establish performance baselines and provide real-time dashboards that identify anomalies. Historical data helps IT link degraded performance with the specific applications or background updates consuming bandwidth.
Building a Network Visibility Platform
To improve network visibility without a massive budget, an SME should focus on automation, consolidation and leveraging existing hardware. The goal is to get maximum coverage with minimal operational overhead.
Many SMEs already own visibility tools but haven’t activated them. Enterprise-grade and even mid-tier SME networking gear have built-in telemetry features. The major cloud platforms also have native monitoring tools.
Feeding all SNMP and flow data into a single pane of glass eliminates the need to log into multiple dashboards. There are cloud-based, SME-friendly platforms that automatically map the network and alert IT to anomalies.
Because many SME apps live in the cloud, knowing if a switch is healthy isn’t enough. Lightweight software agents can simulate user actions and alert IT to a slowdown before employees start complaining.
Why Partnering with an MSP Makes Sense
However, premium visibility and security tools come with enterprise licensing fees, and few SMEs have the skills to maximize their value. For most SMEs, outsourcing network visibility and management to an MSP is often far more practical than trying to build and maintain an internal monitoring stack.
MSPs spread the cost of these tools across all their clients, giving SMEs access to top-tier technology they couldn’t afford on their own. An MSP provides instant access to a team of certified professionals for a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time network engineer. True network visibility also requires around-the-clock observation. A qualified MSP monitors network traffic, catches anomalies and patches vulnerabilities.
MSPs also provide cost predictability. Software tools, monitoring and management are all bundled into a monthly operational fee.
